Semper Fi
by FinishedFics
Summary: (Female reader insert) Recruited by a special marine tactics team, you struggle to adjust to being outcasted by other soldiers until you form an unlikely friendship with another marine: Frank Castle. WARNING: Language, drinking, violence and sexual assault triggers
1. You the new recruit?

_Written by Sara K._

 **A/N:** Disclaimer- my knowledge over the military is very limited let alone what it's like to be a marine. I apologize in advance for an inaccuracies and I hope you're still able to enjoy it! (Y/N: Your Name, Y/F/N: Your Full Name, Y/L/N: Your Last Name)

 **WARNINGS:** Language, drinking, violence and sexual assault triggers

* * *

You're terrified.

Terrified but excited.

The sun beats down on you as you step off the helicopter. The air is dry and the sandy dirt stretches on for miles; you couldn't pick another place to be. You brush your thumb over the wedding band on you finger as you follow the other group of fresh marines off the LZ. Your uniform makes you feel proud as you march the line with your head held high. You were the only one eligible to join the special tactics team and you were the only girl. If that didn't make you feel proud what else could? You walk down the line before you're quickly separated from the others. A man leads you down the rows of one story concrete buildings until he reaches the last one. He holds open the door and you give him a short nod before stepping inside.

The pride inside you dissipates.

All the uniformed men turn their eyes on you. Some with looks of annoyance and others with uncomfortable grins. You pull your left hand to your chest as your gaze follows each face. Your heart is skipping beats.

"You the new recruit?"

You look up to see the first friendly face of the room. He has dark military cut hair with a soft look in his eyes. The man extends his hand to you and you take it. Smiling back at him as he gives you a firm handshake.

"Y/F/N." You nod. "Came in today."

"Castle." The man nods back. "Frank Castle."

You ignore the sound of whispering behind him as he goes on.

"Where'd you ship from?"

"Queens."

"New York?" He smiles. "Yeah me too. Hell's Kitchen, not too far from there."

The men behind him start snickering.

"Ignore them," Frank shakes his head. "They're all assholes. Hard on everyone."

"We're hard alright." The blonde guy sitting a few feet away laughs.

Frank turns and flashes the guy a look. He shuts up and turns away.

Frank looks back to you. "I can show you around if you want,"

"That'd be great yeah." You nod before shifting you backpack higher on your shoulder.

Frank nods again before leading you through the middle of the others. You stay at his heels, avoiding eye contact with everyone else as you make your way out of the room. A wave of relief washes over as Frank shuts the door to the hallway.

"Sorry," He rubs the back of his head. "Jackson is probably the worst of all of us. I promise there's good guys here too." He pauses. "Well...we're all assholes, just a few of us are better than others."

You chuckle.

He leads you down the hall and begins showing you the different rooms.

"This is the dining hall." He points into a long room with wooden tables and plastic chairs. "The menu's pretty limited, but edible."

"The room you were just in was the rec room. Not much to do there except enjoy the shitty company." Frank shrugs and turns the corner.

"These are the sleeping quarters." He looks closely at each name placed by the room numbers; you follow him from door to door until he stops at room 12. "And I believe this is yours."

Frank opens the door to reveal a small room with a bed and desk inside. Yellow light illuminates the walls and a window by the bed lets sunlight trickle in.

"Not exactly 5 star I know," Frank puts his hands in his pockets and raises his shoulders. "But it's private."

You smile. "It's perfect."

You walk over and place your large bag on top on the stiff mattress. You began to quickly pull out the contents from the backpack and set them around the room.

Frank chuckles. "Never seen someone be excited about such a shit hole."

"It's not that," You shake your head; trying to keep the smile under control. "My dad was a marine. A really good one. I promised myself I'd serve and I'm actually doing it and it's just..." You sigh. "Sorry."

"No no," Your gaze turns up to Frank who's smiling back at you. "I get it. My dad served too so- yeah definitely."

You flash him a grin before pulling out the small picture frame you brought.

"You married?"

Looking back at him, you smirk. "Why? You getting any ideas?"

He laughs. "Nah just see the ring." He points at your hand before holding up his own. "I'm tied down too, don't worry."

You giggle before flipping the picture towards him. "Sam. Got married 17 weeks before I shipped out here."

Frank steps closer and looks down at the picture. It's your favorite picture of the two of you. You have your arms wrapped around Sam's back while you're placing a typical kiss on the cheek.

"Cute." Frank grins.

You brush a strand of hair out of your face before placing it on the right end of the desk. "What about you?"

"Me?"

"You're significant." You point at his left hand.

His face glows a little red as he runs a hand through his hair. "Oh yeah yeah; her name's Maria."

"Got any pictures?"

You can see the excitement light up in his face. "Yeah in my room."

You both stand in silence for a moment before you lean forwards. "Can I see them?"

"Course! Yeah sure!" He shakes his head and walks out of the doorway.

Giggling, you follow him out.

"You didn't tell me we were neighbors."

"I'll make sure to bring over some welcome cookies." He grins before opening the door next to yours.

You step inside to see the room is the same setup as yours; the difference is how lived in it is. A cameo bag hangs from the bedpost and papers scatter the desk. The bed is made neatly and a stack of folded clothes sits at the end of it. The wall in front of the desk is covered in pictures; each one layered with another.

Frank stands by the desk and points at one of the pictures. "That's us."

You move next to him and cross your arms. The picture is almost exactly the same as yours. She's kissing him on the cheek with her hands wrapped around his neck and he's smiling so wide that his eyes are squinted shut. It's adorable.

"Awww,"

His face gets a little red as he mutters out a "thanks"

You look over the other pictures. There's more of him and her and a few of just her. Your eyes land on a picture of two children. A boy and a girl.

"Who are these?!"

"Lisa and Frank Jr." He smiles proudly. "My kids."

"They're so cute!" You look closer at the other pictures. Birthdays, christmases, school pictures, dinners, Halloween costumes, church, fairs, picnics; you stop on a picture of him and his kids. A younger Frank Jr is banging a small plastic drum while Frank is playing a guitar. Lisa and him seem to be singing at the top of their lungs with their heads back and their eyes closed.

You point at the guitar. "You play?"

"Uh yeah a bit." He nods.

"Ever play here?" You ask.

Frank scoffs. "You find me a spare guitar lying around and I will."

Chucking, you turn back to the pictures.

"The captain of our team will be here tomorrow." Frank folds his arms over his chest. "You got shipped in just in time for your first mission."

You whip around. "Tomorrow?"

"Yeah...didn't they brief you?"

Fear wells up inside your chest. Tomorrow? You'd just finish training and you were already going in the field? You can't do this. Not this soon.

"Obviously they didn't." Frank catches your panicked gaze. "Don't worry Y/L/N, nothin' too crazy alright? It's just a scouting mission."

Sighing, you nod back at him.

Frank puts a hand on your shoulder. "Promise you'll live through a boring ride through the desert. All it takes is a pair of eyes and legs to walk with and you got both."

You flash him a comforted smile. He nods back at you before pulling his hand away.

Letting out a long breath, you began stepping towards the door. "I should probably finish unpacking."

"Yeah yeah I'll leave you alone to that." Frank walks you out. You stop outside the room and turn to him. "And if you ever need anything I'm right here." Frank knocks on his door.

"Thanks." You smile before heading towards your room.

"Oh- and bathrooms are at the end of the hall!"

"Thanks Castle!" You laugh before going back to your room.

* * *

(1 out of 7)

 **Chapter 2 Fortunate Son: 10/02/17**

 _The soldier shakes his head. "Men are children."_

 _You smirk. "No. Boys. Boys are children."_

 _Frank laughs. He then turns to the man standing beside him. "Y/F/N this is Marc Spector. Marc Spector, Y/F/N."_

 _"Pleased to meet you ma'am." Marc shakes your hand._

 _You grin. "You too."_


	2. Fortunate Son

_Written by Sara K._

 **A/N:** Marc Spector- AKA Moon Knight and the best CCR song

 **WARNINGS:** Language, drinking, violence and sexual assault triggers

* * *

Wringing your hands behind your back, you nervously look up and down the line of men you stand with.

The dawn is creeping over the horizon and a hot breeze hits you from behind.

Today's the day.

Last night you could barely sleep. You didn't leave your room all night, just spent the time organizing and reorganizing the space. All you could think about was screwing up. Screwing up and letting people down. Your heart beat rung in your ears and your legs wouldn't stop shaking. The anxiety was eating away at you.

Standing a few men down from where you're standing is Frank. He stays facing forwards with his back straight. Him along with the everyone else had their hands behind their back as they waited in line.

You didn't know how long the captain had been talking but it felt like an eternity. You had tuned him out to listen to your own internal monologue that was in one way a pep talk and in another way a panic attack.

"Everyone understand?" The captain yells.

"SIR YES SIR!" All the men shout in unison.

Shit. You think. Well if I thought I was going to screw up before, I definitely will now.

The men begin to break up and head towards the dark jeeps that sit a few yards away.

You pull down the cap on your head as you make your way with the rest. Everyone gathering in groups of 3 or 4 as they load into the vehicles. Another bout of panic strikes you as you stand alone without a group.

"Hey sweetheart!"

You cringe at the word. Turning around, you spot that same blonde guy from yesterday hanging off his door.

"Why don't you sit this one out and let the real marines take this." Jackson smirks. "You can stay home and make us some supper!"

Your face twists into a scowl. Shaking your head you try to walk past him.

"Or you could ride with us!" Jackson jumps down in front of you. "We'll keep you nice and safe."

The men with Jackson start hooting and hollering from inside the jeep; one even goes so far to do the stereotypical cat call whistle.

"Hey Y/L/N!"

You turn around to spot Frank standing by one of the vehicles. One other soldier stands next to him while he's holding open a door.

"Need a ride?" He calls.

You quickly nod and march away from the hooting men.

Making your way up to the two other guys, you let out a sigh of relief. The soldier next to Frank has dirty blonde hair and aviator sunglasses.

The soldier shakes his head. "Men are children."

You smirk. "No. Boys. Boys are children."

Frank laughs. He then turns to the man standing beside him. "Y/F/N this is Marc Spector. Marc Spector, Y/F/N."

"Pleased to meet you ma'am." Marc shakes your hand.

You grin. "You too."

"Don't let his pretty boy face fool you," Frank climbs inside the jeep. "He's still an asshole, just like the rest of us."

"Hey," Marc opens the door to the back. "I'm less of an asshole then you."

You chuckle as you run around to the front passenger seat. You climb in next to Frank and Marc sits in the middle seat in the back.

"Now you get front seat first cause you're new," Marc leans forward. "But this is a gender equal vehicle; next time shotgun rules are in place."

You giggle. "Sure thing Spector."

Frank smirks and starts the jeep. He slips on his dark sunglasses before eventually pulling out with everyone else.

You stare out the window and watch the cloudless sky go by. The comfortable silence stretches on for a while before Marc jumps up in the back.

"AH I ALMOST FORGOT!"

"Christ Spector..." Frank shakes his head. "You scared the shit out of me."

You chuckle as Marc ignores him. "I found an old iPod at that market we went to last week,"

He digs in his pocket for a second before leaning between you two. You look down to see a dusty once white iPod in his hands.

"Your not gonna believe what's on it," Marc grins at himself before plugging a tattered AUX cord into the jeep's radio.

He shows the screen to Frank.

"Hell yeah," Frank grins back, "play that son of a bitch."

The first chords of CCR's Fortunate Son blast through the radio. You face lights up and the three of you let out a loud laugh.

Frank mimes the guitar cords on the steering wheel as Marc drums on the arm rests. You cover your face as the two began to sing at the top of their lungs.

"SOME FOLKS ARE BORN, MAAADE TO WAVE THE FLAG!" Frank starts.

"OOOH THEY'RE RED WHITE AND BLUE!" Marc carries.

You can't help but follow. "AND WHEN THE BAND PLAYS HAAAIL TO THE CHIEF, OOH THEY POINT THE CANNON AT YOU, LORD!"

"There you GO!" Frank laughs.

"IT AIN'T ME!"

"IT AIN'T ME!"

"I AIN'T NO SENATOR'S SON, SON!" All of you sing in unison.

"IT AIN'T ME!"

"IT AIN'T ME!"

"I AIN'T NO FORTUNATE ONE, NO!"

You laugh at their ridiculous passion for the song. All three of you dancing along to it as you scream out the lyrics.

"SOME FOLKS INHERIT STAAAR SPANGLED EYES!" You sing through the laughter.

"OOOH THEY'LL SEND YOU DOWN TO WAR!" Frank punches the air.

Marc jumps in his seat. "AND WHEN YOU ASK 'EM HOOOW MUCH SHOULD WE GIVE?"

You all scream together.

"OOOH THE ONLY ANSWER IS MORE- MORE- MORE- MORE!"

"IT AIN'T ME!"

"IT AIN'T ME!"

By the last line you're all dying of laughter.

"I AIN'T NO MILITARY SON, SON!"

"IT AIN'T ME!"

"IT AIN'T ME!"

"I AIN'T NO FORTUNATE ONE- ONE- ONE- ONE!"

The fear in your chest has disappeared.

You can do this. You can be a marine.

* * *

(2 out of 7)

 **Chapter 3 One Foot In Front of the Other: 10/06/17**

 _"Let her go asshole." He demands._

 _The man with the gun laughs._

 _Your heart drops._

 _The squeak of the trigger pulling back._

 _You're dead._

 _He's going to kill you._


	3. One foot in front of the other

_Written by Sara K._

 **A/N:** Bang.

 **WARNINGS:** Language, drinking, violence and sexual assault triggers

* * *

The jeep rolls to a stop with the others. Frank slips his cap back on before taking out the keys. The three of you climb out of the vehicle. You watch as Marc hands Frank two assault rifles from the back seat before slipping his own over his shoulder. Frank then walks up to you and hands you one.

All you can do is stare at it.

"Don't worry." Frank nods. "You shouldn't need it. Just a scouting mission remember? Just doing a sweep of an abandoned town."

You swallow hard before taking the gun from his hands. You look it over for a second before slinging it around your own shoulder.

Frank nods at you before doing the same. The three of you share a glance before you began walking around to the others.

There's about 12 of you there all in a circle. A marine you already forgot the name of is giving each group a location to search. When the three of you get there, he assigns you to a few buildings in the back of the empty town.

Frank quickly takes the lead towards the town's entrance. He slides off the rifle and holds it with his finger near the trigger. You and Marc copy him. The butt of the gun is pressed tightly against your shoulder as you tense up after stepping inside the walls. You stay close to the other two men as they began walking on the right side of the road.

An eerie silence hangs in the air as you pass by the empty buildings.

Marc shivers. "Fucking ghost town."

Frank turns around and presses a finger against his lips; signaling for the silence to drop over the three of you again.

You cling to the weapon in your hand, doing your best to glance behind you when you can.

Eventually you make it to the buildings you have to search. Frank flashes Marc a hand sign to search the first one. He then gives you a sign to follow after him in the second one. Marc gives you a nod before leaving the two of you.

You follow Frank inside. For such a large man, he is as quiet as the breeze passing in the air. Each footstep seems to be put on mute as he moves quickly from room to room. His gun ready and his gaze set at the end of it. You stay behind him with your rifle off safety; doing everything you can to keep your breath steady.

Frank moves with absolute precision. He's not the same person he was singing in the jeep with you; he's focused, emotionless. He is now simply a machine carrying out a task. It's like a switch had been flipped inside him. The gun he carried was no longer the weapon; he was.

After searching every nook and cranny of the building, Frank gives the 'all clear' signal to you. The two of you exit to meet Marc outside.

Marc gives the signal of searching the next one and Frank nods.

You and Frank search a few buildings together as Marc goes on his own. Frank shows you how to tactically scan the whole room and how to figure out if there are any hidden rooms in walls or panels. You follow his lead the whole way before you get to the last building on the row. When you're inside, he gives you the signal to search the upstairs rooms while he searches downstairs and the basement.

Taking a deep breath before you do, you agree. Frank pats you on the shoulder before leaving you to it.

The grip on your gun tightens as you climb the stairs. You press the sight against your cheek and take in long slow breaths.

 _It's just one foot in front of the other._

The main upstairs room is clear. Nothing is inside but a few chairs and a messy bookshelf.

You move to one of the smaller rooms.

Large wooden crates are stacked inside but no one to be seen.

The next room is the same way.

Finally you reach the last room. You step inside slowly and scan the floor. Before you can even reach the opposite wall, something jumps on top of you. It pins you to the floorboards, knocking the gun from your hands. Fear rushes to your head as you try to thrash out of the person's grasp.

Suddenly the person starts shouting.

It's a man.

He's speaking a language you don't know.

A gun cocks above you.

You roll your head over to see another man's boots by your side.

The one on top of you is shouting while the one above you presses the pistol against your head.

 _This is it._ Tears begin to form at the corners of your eyes. _This is how it ends._

Suddenly the sound of a door crashing open behind you makes the men jump.

"Get off of her."

 _Frank._

You let out a broken sigh of relief. You can't see him but you know he has his gun on them.

The man above you shouts something at him. The word 'America' is used a few times before he presses the gun harder against your skull.

You can feel the floorboards creak as Frank shifts closer.

"Let her go asshole." He demands.

The man with the gun laughs.

You heart drops.

The squeak of the trigger pulling back.

You're dead.

He's going to kill you.

Two loud pops explode in the room. You quickly roll over after the man pinning you down jumps off. You look up to see the gunman on the ground in front of you; two bullet holes in his chest.

Another pop goes off but it's cut off by a shout. You scramble to your knees to see the first man is struggling with Frank over the rifle. The man was huge, bigger than Frank. After a few more seconds of struggling, the man clocks the soldier hard in the face, disorientating Frank enough to throw the rifle from his hands.

Your eyes widen as the man throws Frank against the wall. Frank hits him few times in the face before the man wraps his hands around Frank's throat. He squeezes tightly. For a few seconds, Frank beats at the man's arms but he quickly begins to panic.

You can hear Frank's gasps for air as his face turns a bright red. He's no longer the machine he was, he's a human desperate for survival.

Tears stream down your cheek as you climb to your feet. Grip tight and finger on the trigger, you aim the rifle at the man's head.

"GET OFF OF HIM!" You scream.

The man laughs at you. Making no move to even glance in your direction. He tightens his grip around Frank's neck.

You watch as the marine's body begins to grow limp and his eyes slowly roll back in his head.

 _ **BANG**_

Without a second thought you open fire. Two rounds. Three rounds. Four rounds. You don't let go of the trigger until the man's lifeless body slumps to the floor.

After he does, you drop the weapon from you hands and rush to Frank's side. You hold his face in your palms as you pat the sides of his cheeks.

"CASTLE! Wake up goddammit! WAKE. UP."

You keep shaking him until finally-

"I told you to stay quiet..."

You let out a shaking scoff. Quickly wiping your eyes before looking back at him.

"You also told me this trip would be boring."

"Did I? Don't remember..." Frank slowly rubs the side of his neck. His voice is broken but it's there. He lets out a few wheezing coughs before he tries to stand. You wrap your arm around his and with the wall to balance on, you're able to get him to his feet.

Frank dusts himself off as you pick up the two rifles.

"You ok?" He's asks.

"I'm supposed to be asking you that." You shake your head, handing him his gun.

"You got a scratch on your face."

Reaching up, you wipe a small line of blood from your cheek. "Hopefully it'll scar."

"Yeah that would be pretty bad ass." He smirks before taking his gun from you. "Let's get out of here before the whole squad blows in guns blazing." Frank nods towards the door.

The two of you quickly move out of the building to -sure enough- be met by the whole group of marines.

"Are you guys alright?!" Marc pushes through the crowd of men all aiming guns at the doorway.

"We're ok." You nod.

"There was only two guys in the building." Frank gestures towards you. "Rookie got both of them."

You flash Frank a look but he doesn't look back.

The man in charge from before steps forwards. "What did they want?"

"Don't know." Frank shrugs. "Just know they weren't expecting two of us."

The man nods and turns to the rest of the group. "From now on we search in pairs; is that understood?"

"SIR YES SIR." The men call back.

The rest of the day is quite. You search a few more buildings with Marc and Frank; sticking close to with at least one of them the whole time. No more surprises appear in any of the other buildings or for any of the other groups. It's not too long before the teams are loading back up in their jeeps and heading away from the town.

The car ride is quiet except for Marc's iPod playing The Commodores' Easy softly through the speakers. You smile as Marc hums it from the back and Frank lightly drums the notes on his steering wheel. You stare out the window as the sun sets over the horizon.

You made it.

You made it through today.

* * *

(3 out of 7)

 **Chapter 4 Righteous Brothers, Beer and a Bar Fight: 10/10/17**

 _The booming sound of life inside the bar is muffled from behind. Sounds of crickets buzz in your ears as a breeze blows through your hair._

 _The sound of the door opening and closing snaps you out of your thoughts._

 _You turn to see Frank standing in front of you._

 _"You alright?"_

 _You nod. "Sorry yeah, just needed to get away from the noise."_

 _"I get that." He takes a sip of his drink before walking up beside you. "I'm not much of a people person either."_


	4. Righteous Brothers, Beer and a Bar Fight

_Written by Sara K._

 **A/N:** "Top Gunning it up"

 **WARNING:** Language, drinking, violence and sexual assault triggers

* * *

"HELL YEAH!"

You open your eyes at Marc's shout. The song has switched to the familiar trumpet sounds of Button Down Brass's Tequila.

"Seriously Spector? She was asleep!" Frank yells back at him.

You look in the rearview mirror to see the marine basecamp now behind you.

You turn back to them. "Guys...camp is back there."

"Yeah yeah but Marc wants us to go with everyone into town."

"We're celebrating!"

You chuckle. "Celebrating?"

"Marc's definition of celebration is to get drunk off his ass." Frank scoffs.

"No this time I have an ACTUAL reason."

"And what's that?" You smirk.

"Rookie, you survived your first day AND saved Frank's ass. You saved FRANK CASTLE'S ass. That's a cause for celebration."

You laugh as Frank shakes his head.

"And also there's a discount for marines at this place; and you're a marine now Y/L/N."

The pride from the day before wells back up inside of you.

"Step on it Castle," Marc leans over his seat, "I wanna beat Jackson and all of his douchebag groupies to the bar."

The room is filled with two things: drunk marines and women.

A few women soldiers stand off to the side in their tight knit group as the men slur songs from their mouths, dripping beer all over the floorboards. You decide to stay close with your two companions as you head towards the bar.

Marc orders a couple of bottled beers for the three of you as you take seats on the bar stools. You and Marc take a seat but before Frank can sit down, a man drags it away to join his friends at the end of the room. You chuckle as Frank lets out a dramatic sigh and leans his back on the edge of the bar.

When the bartender slides over the bottles, Frank pops open the caps and passes them to the two of you.

You and Frank sip at your bottles while Marc chugs it down. Frank flashes you a look that makes you laugh.

"Guess I'll be driving." He shrugs.

Suddenly a loud hooting echoes from the men around you. Everyone breaks into song as Righteous Brothers' You've Lost that Loving Feeling begins to blast through the juke box.

Marc jumps to his feet as you and Frank do a double take.

"Come on Y/L/N!" Marc reaches out a hand to you.

"Woah there Tom Cruise!" you laugh.

"I'm fine with Top Gunning this place up." Frank shakes his head as he sets his beer down.

You cover your mouth at the two of them. "We're not exactly Air Force?"

"Close enough!" Marc yells before grabbing your hand.

The three of you rush to the clear space by one of the speakers. Frank sings every word as Marc stumbles on the dance moves. You can't believe these are the two men you were counting your life on a few hours ago.

They're just people.

Just like you.

Other soldiers around you are singing and swaying to the beat. Almost everyone is on the makeshift dance floor as the song hums through the air.

Before you know it, a girl with dark hair has made her way up to Marc. She's not very subtle as she takes off his hat and wraps her arms around his neck. You have to wipe your eyes after laughing so hard. Frank gives him a thumbs up as Marc begins to awkwardly dance with her.

You turn around to see Frank give you a small smirk before extending his arm like a true gentleman. Taking his hand, you grin. The two of you flash amused smiles as you begin to sway to the song. He keeps a reasonable distance from you while still leading the dance.

Frank leans his head back as the song reaches it's climax. "BABY!"

Your smile widens. "BABY!"

"BABY!"

"BABY!"

The two of you sing the song as loud as you can as the juke box begins to die down.

Frank laughs as he lets you go. "I better get Marc before he does something stupid."

"Sounds good." You smile as he makes his way through the crowd.

You skip your way back to the bar stool and pick up the beer you left behind. Letting your eyes wonder around the room, you sit for a few moments.

Suddenly a sinking feelings hits you.

Something's missing.

Something you want so badly to get back to.

You look down at your hand.

Your eye catches on the golden glint of your wedding band.

 _Sam._

You miss Sam.

You're heart catches in your throat as you look around the room. You couldn't be in here anymore. Your gaze lands on the door that leads to the porch outside the bar. Without a second thought, you jump to your feet. Beer in hand, you rush out the door into the night air.

You fill up your lungs with a deep breath and you make your way to the edge of the porch. It's empty. All that you can see is a few lights of the town and the bright stars that line the darkness. You lean your arms on the railing while swishing your bottle side to side.

Letting out a long sigh, you stare out in front of you. The booming sound of life inside the bar is muffled from behind. Sounds of crickets buzz in your ears as a breeze blows through your hair.

The sound of the door opening and closing snaps you out of your thoughts.

You turn to see Frank standing in front of you.

"You alright?"

You nod. "Sorry yeah, just needed to get away from the noise."

"I get that." He takes a sip of his drink before walking up beside you. "I'm not much of a people person either." He puts his arms on the railing next to yours. He leans against it and stares out at the dark landscape.

A moment of silence drags on. A lump in your throat forms as you turn away from him. You rub your thumb back and forth over your ring as the quite continues.

Frank let's out a sigh before he holds out his left hand. You watch him as he stares as his own wedding band a second before looking back up at the sky. He nods.

"I like to look at the stars and know my family looks at the same ones."

A small smile forms on your lips. "That's what Sam said to do right before I left."

Frank looks at you with the same smile.

He understands what you're missing but you can't even imagine what it's like for him. His wife _and_ his kids. His whole life is on the other side of the world; talk about missing something.

"It sucks now," Frank goes on, "but you'll be home before you know it."

You nod and look down at your feet. Wiping the corners of your eyes, you take in a shaky breath. Brushing the hair from your face, you let out a sigh. "So where's Marc?" You ask, changing the subject.

Frank chuckles. "You tell me. Couldn't find him anywhere."

You smirk and take the last sip of your drink. Frank leans over and takes the bottle from your hand and heads toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Getting us another beer." He shrugs.

"Frank you don't have to-"

Before you can finish, he's already inside heading for the bar tender. You smile before turning back around. Crossing your arms, you lean back on the railing and drop your shoulders.

The door opens behind you.

"Hey honey!"

You roll you eyes.

 _Jackson._

"Y/N." You say flatly. "Not _honey_."

"It's a compliment." He grins his devil like grin before moving over to you.

You turn away, trying to keep out of eye contact.

"Watcha doing by yourself?"

"Waiting on a friend."

"You seem lonely."

"I'm not."

"Well a girl like you deserves the company,"

You jump as he drags his finger across your arm.

"Don't touch me." You snap.

He laughs. "No need to get bitchy; just being nice."

" _ **Hey.**_ "

You turn. Frank is standing outside the doorway with two bottles in his hands. He tilts his head to the side as an unsettling fake grin appears on his face.

"What are you doing man?"

"Just saying hi to the new recruit." Jackson crosses his arms.

"You already did." Frank moves closer to you.

The other marine chuckles. "Just being nice."

"That right?" Frank's jaw tightens. "Why don't you go be nice inside."

Jackson throws his hands up in the air. "Didn't realize you were moving in her Castle! Shoulda just said, dibs is dibs."

"She's a person asshole." He snaps.

"Sure 'course." Jackson reaches up and flicks your hat.

Frank's shoulders tense up. "Touch her again and I'll beat your ass."

Jackson just shrugs him off. He gives you a wink before whispering, "Let me know if you ever wanna have a good time darling." His hand brushes over your thigh.

The sound of Frank clanking the glass bottles down is heard from behind you. Before he's able to make a move, you turn to Jackson and throw a hard punch connecting your knuckles to his nose, sending him stumbling backwards.

"Don't ever touch me again." Your hands in fists as you look at him directly in the eye.

"BITCH!" Jackson yells, his hands over his bleeding nose.

You smirk before turning back around. You take one of the bottles Frank brought and look back at him. "Wanna go find Marc?"

Plastered over Frank's face is the proudest smile you've ever seen. He nods before picking up his own drink, "Lead the way ma'am."

The two of you clink drinks together before walking back inside the bar. Jackson's groans of pain are drowned out by the sound of Frank's hysterical laughter once the door closes behind you.

* * *

(4 out of 7)

 **Chapter 5 "Sleep well ma'am.": 10/14/17**

 _You killed a man today._

 _How did you forget?_

 _Why didn't you feel that?_

 _You took someone's life and you're sitting on your bed writing a letter like you were at summer camp. The feeling of something tightening your chest makes the lump in your throat reappear._

 _Why didn't you feel that?_


	5. Sleep well ma'am

_Written by Sara K._

 **A/N:** SORRY IT'S A SHORT ONE! More of a filler chapter I apologize; have to set up the last two chapters. HOPE YOU'RE NOT TOO PISSED AT ME

 **WARNINGS:** Language, drinking, violence and sexual assault triggers

* * *

"I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE-" Marc cuts himself off by bursting into a drunken fit of laughter.

"Oh god," Frank shakes his head, "you should've seen his face."

"Hope it leaves a mark." You grin.

The three of you head down the hall towards the sleeping quarters. All -besides Marc- doing your best to stay quiet.

"Sorry about the girl by the way Spector."

"Nah it's fine Y/N." Marc sighs. "Hopefully the next girl who wants to dance and make out in the women's restroom will give me the decency of saying her name."

"Aw, your life is so hard." Frank's mock sympathy was accompanied by a pat on the back.

You giggle as Marc pushes him off.

It's not long before you reach Marc's room. He stops outside his door and turns. "Well I had a magical evening with you two that I am surely to forget by morning."

You smile as he extends a hand to you. You take it and give it a light shake.

"Goodnight ma'am." He nods before turning to Frank. "Sir."

Frank shakes his head. "Night Spector."

Once Marc's in his room, the two of you begin back down the hall.

"You think she really tried to make out with him in the bathroom?" You ask.

Frank put his hands in his pockets. "Do I think she actually did? No. Do I think Marc blacked out in the women's bathroom and dreamed it?" He paused. "...I'm just saying there wasn't a single lipstick stain on him."

You grin the rest of the walk down the hall. The two of you stop in the center between your doors.

Turning to Frank, you let out a sigh. "I gotta say thanks; for looking out for me today, really means a lot."

Frank leans against the wall and tilts his head. "I didn't do shit. Pretty sure you were looking out for yourself." He smiles.

You smile back. "I guess I did save you from TWO guys."

"That's very true." He nods.

You shake your head. "You're a good guy Castle."

"I try." Frank shrugs before opening his door.

"See you tomorrow." You wave before twisting the handle to your own room.

"Sleep well ma'am."

When you're alone in your room, you undress and change into a soft shirt and shorts. You run your fingers through your hair and decide to take a shower in the morning. Snacking on a protein bar, you begin to write your letter to Sam. You talk about Frank and Marc. About how you miss home. You go on about your first mission, deciding to leave the endangerment of your life out of it.

You pause.

 _You killed a man today._

How did you forget?

Why didn't you feel that?

You took someone's life and you're sitting on your bed writing a letter like you were at summer camp. The feeling of something tightening your chest makes the lump in your throat reappear.

 _Why didn't you feel that?_

You take in a shaky breath as you let go of the panic that had welled up inside you.

 _Because you're a marine._

You nod.

 _Frank would've died. You would've died._

 _You did what you had to do._

You open your eyes to see your fists clutching the edge of the bed. You let go and take in a few more deep breaths until you're sure you've calmed the storm. Biting your lip, you turn back to the letter and wrap it up before sliding it into the envelope. You place the paper on your desk and climb into bed. The blankets feel warm wrapped around you as you lie in mattress. Flipping the light switch off, you snuggle into your pillow.

" _Sleep well ma'am."_

You recall Frank's words as a smile spreads over your face. You then close your eyes and slowly fall fast asleep.

* * *

(5 of 7)

 **Chapter 6 Safe: 10/18/17**

 _Frank's eyes turn soft; just like the day you met him...god, was that only two days ago? You cared so much about him and he about you. But you couldn't think about that now. All you could think about was how broken you were. How terrified, how ruined you felt._


	6. Safe

_Written by Sara K._

 **A/N:** Ugh I'm sorry

 **WARNINGS:** Language, drinking, violence and sexual assault triggers

* * *

Your eyes snap open as something is pressed against your mouth. You try to scream but nothing escapes other than muffled noises. Your arms hit something solid above you but in a short few moments they're pinned down behind you. The bedroom is dark with only faint moonlight making it's way through the window. As your eyes adjust, you're able to make out a man standing above the bed.

He climbs on top of you with his knees placed on either side of your waist. You try to scream again but nothing can get out. The man then leans close to your ear and whispers;

"Hi _sweetheart_."

Your heart drops.

You begin to kick and thrash, doing anything you can to pull away, but Jackson stays holding you down.

"We don't want to wake up your neighbor," He laughs quietly. "After your gift tonight I just wanted to return the favor by _personally_ initiating you."

Your eyes began to water as you continue to struggle under his grasp. You flinch as Jackson moves to your neck.

"Welcome to the team." He smirks.

Tears stream down your face as he begins kissing you up and down your neck. You cry and scream and thrash but he doesn't stop; he just gets more excited. He moves down to your chest and your shoulders.

You pray. You close your eyes and you pray. Doing everything you can to try and forget what's happening to you. Forget you're being violated.

You throat goes horse as you run out of screams. You vocal cords gone now, Jackson takes his hand off your mouth and moves it to your waist. You cry and wheeze as you try to get one single word out: help.

With a free hand now, Jackson begins to rip at your shirt. Your hysterical cries turn into gasps for air through your tears. All that protected you now was your bra and shorts.

 _I want to go home._

You close your eyes again.

 _I just want to go home._

Suddenly the weight on top of you disappears.

You open your eyes to see Frank dragging Jackson off of you. He throws him up against the wall. With one hand, Frank holds the collar of the man's shirt and with the other he clocks him across the face.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?" He screams; punching Jackson again.

Frank slams him into the wall once more before punching him with the other hand.

Jackson then grabs his arm and punches Frank back. You watch as the two begin to scuffle in your room. Jackson lands a few punches here, Frank a few there. Blood drips down both men's faces. Frank wipes his mouth before charging at the other man. He picks up Jackson and throws him to the ground.

Screaming, Frank climbs on top of him. He throws another hard punch to the man's nose, then to his left cheek, then his right, then his jaw, then his temple, then his mouth; another after another.

His screams finally stop when Jackson stops moving.

Frank's chest rises and falls as he tries to catch his breath through gritted teeth. His fists are covered in blood and his arms are shaking. His dead eyes are locked with the unconscious man underneath him.

Your whimpers catch his attention.

Arms wrapped around yourself as you stare back at him. You can't stop crying. You can't stop shaking.

Frank's eyes turn soft; just like the day you met him...god, was that only two days ago? You cared so much about him and he about you. But you couldn't think about that now. All you could think about was how broken you were. How terrified, how ruined you felt.

You watch as Frank slowly makes his way to his feet. As careful as possible, he moves to your side. You flinch when he puts his hands on the bed. He moves back and raises his arms away from you.

"It's okay..." His voice sounds like someone put it through a blender, rigid and shredded. "...you're safe…"

More tears wash down your face as he kneels on the bed.

"You're safe."

Without a second thought, you jump ontop of him; throwing your arms around his neck as you cry into his shoulder. He reaches around and holds you tight, pressing your cheek against his. You squeeze him as close as you can as you burry your face into him.

"I got you..." He whispers gently. "I got you...you're safe...I promise...I got you...I got you…"

* * *

(6 out of 7)

 **Chapter 7 Always Loyal: 10/22/17**

 _"Not gonna say goodbye?"_

 _You turn to see Frank standing behind you._

 _Biting your lip, you sigh. "I'm sorry…"_

 _"Goodbyes are hard," He steps up to you. "I get it."_


	7. Always Loyal

_Written by Sara K._

 **A/N:** Ah here we are, the end of the line. I want to thank you guys for making it to the end. Thanks for all the love and support and I hope to do more series like this in the future. Thank you guys so much for reading!

 **WARNINGS:** Language, drinking, violence and sexual assault triggers

* * *

You're terrified.

Terrified but ready.

The sun beats down as you look at the LZ platform. Your backpack sits on your shoulder as you stand in the dry heat. An aching in your chest drags you down but you keep your head held high.

"Not gonna say goodbye?"

You turn to see Frank standing behind you.

Biting your lip, you sigh. "I'm sorry…"

"Goodbyes are hard," He steps up to you. "I get it."

His hands are in his pockets and his hat is pulled down to keep the blinding sun out of his eyes.

You let out another sigh. "I just...I can't-"

Frank holds up his hand. "It's alright." He nods. "I get it."

You look in his eyes. He has the same soft look he held before. Frank looks down at his boots before he takes another step closer. "Look Y/L/N I'm sorry about...everything."

You shake your head, wiping your eyes before turning away. Your gaze lands on the helicopter sitting a few yards behind you. You let out a shaky sigh. "How's Marc?"

Frank shrugs. "He said something about Egypt or some shit."

"Egypt?" You chuckle.

"I don't know." Frank flashes a smile before rubbing the back of his head. "Spector is a different kind of guy."

"Well we knew that." You tease.

Frank scoffs before nodding.

"What about you?"

"Oh uh," Frank pulls his hands out of his pockets and crosses them over his chest. "I'm actually getting promoted soon."

"Really?"

"Yeah; I mean it was something pending for a while but now it's official."

"What rank?"

"Lieutenant."

You grin. "Wow, Lieutenant Castle."

"Yeah it has a nice ring." He smirks.

You both laugh for a second before he goes on.

"I'm supposed to join some kind of CIA team to do some sort of top secret bullshit...that's what they advertised it as anyway." He chuckles. "I'll probably just end up doing the same shit I do here but with a higher title."

"Hey that's something." You smile, pausing for a second before continuing. "When do you go home?"

Frank scratches the side of his jaw. "It was supposed to be in the next 5 months," he sighs, "with the promotion they said they may extend it, so..."

You shake your head. "I'm sorry."

"It is what it is."

The two of you stand there for a moment before Frank speaks up.

"I bet Sam is thrilled."

"You have _no_ idea."

Another silence holds the air.

Frank takes a step closer. "You're going to be alright."

You nod.

"You're going to be more than alright."

You drop your shoulders. Putting the back of your hand over your mouth you try to hold back any tears. "This isn't what I wanted." You croak. "I feel like a coward."

Frank shakes his head. "You're far from that."

"I wanted to make people proud."

"I'm proud."

You look up to see Frank's eyes locked with you.

"I'm sure Sam is proud." He nods. "Besides, you can always come back if you decide to."

You wipe away the stray tears on your cheeks.

"Okay?" He places a hand on your shoulder.

You wrap him into a hug once again. He holds you tightly in his arms.

"You're going to do great things Y/L/N. I believe in you."

You give him one last squeeze before pulling away. "I better see you and Spector as soon as you land back in America okay?"

Frank grins.

"You think I'm joking I'm NOT." You wipe you face over again. "And you better play guitar for me."

He gives you a two finger solut. "Yes ma'am."

You take in another long breath before letting it out. You look up at Frank and give him a nod. "Take care of yourself Frank."

"You too Y/N." He smiles.

Tightening your grip on your backpack, you head towards the helicopter.

"Hey _**marine**_!"

You turn back to Frank.

He tilts his hat to you.

"Semper Fi"

Pride bubbles over into the smile that stretches across your face. You tilt your own hat back to him before calling back;

"Semper Fi"

* * *

(7 out of 7)


End file.
